Mount men expect big things

NEWBURGH — Ryan Kadlubowski expects the same kind of success as last season with his Mount Saint Mary men's basketball team, only the Knights will go about their business differently.

Ken McMillan

NEWBURGH — Ryan Kadlubowski expects the same kind of success as last season with his Mount Saint Mary men's basketball team, only the Knights will go about their business differently.

Graduates Carlos Valdez and Kevin Milella recorded 2,400 career points and 1,600 rebounds between them, and their absence from the low post will shift the focus of the Knights' offense from the inside to the outside.

"Now our star players will be our guards, and the offense works for that, too,'' Kadlubowski said.

Mount Saint Mary set a school record with 23 wins and claimed the ECAC Metro tournament title last season, but Kadlubowski is still longing for a Skyline Conference title after two disappointing semifinal-round losses.

The Knights will open the season in Rochester's Chuck Resler tournament starting Friday afternoon.

Kadlubowski is putting a lot on the shoulders of speedy point guard Donte Howell (8.8 points per game last season).

"As Carlos was our engine, now we go as Donte goes,'' Kadlubowski said.

Howell has the ability to create shots for himself as well as others, and Kadlubowski likes how he has gotten stronger and is finishing plays better.

Joe Stabach returns to the shooting guard spot and is on pace to surpass 1,000 points by the end of his junior season. Stabach averaged 13.3 points and led the team with 72 3-pointers — Kadlubowski expects both of those numbers to improve with the new emphasis on the perimeter. Guard Ryan Straub has improved his shot, but he is being counted on for defense and rebounding.

Chris Pisciotta moves from guard to his natural forward position. Pisciotta should provide a valuable physical presence for a team lacking in height and could be a tough matchup on offense with his ability to step out and hit the 3-pointer. Junior Joe Henain is the tallest Knight at 6-8 — his 7-foot wingspan should help with blocked shots, and his ability to go right and left in the post makes him an asset.

Senior Chris Frey is expected play 20-25 minutes per game at forward. Billy Pinto will be an offensive sub and Jason Oder will provide defense and rebounding.

Deep-ball threat Lenny Ragaglia (55 3-pointers) will be the top shooting guard off the bench. Dylan McCann is a point guard, with Anthony Cipriano and Steve Phillips able to play point and shooting guard. Freshman Stephen Steyer is a reserve shooting guard.

"I am not concerned on the offensive end,'' Kadlubowski said. "I still think we're going to score. Some days we will be cold and we have to find other ways to score, but we're not going to go away from our game plan.''

The big concern is rebounding and ending possessions. Kadlubowski would like to use his team's speed to on the break, but it goes back to rebounding, so everyone is expected to box out and crash the boards.

"I fully expect us to be there at the end as one of the top teams,'' Kadlubowski said.